Developer Diaries

Ridge Racer 7 Developer Diary #3

The "party" comparison I used in my description of the Customization mode actually describes Ridge Racer 7's online gameplay as well. The next biggest Ridge Racer 7 difference is the party-like social gameplay experience in the online co-op play. Simple multiplayer races and online Time Attack ranking boards have been featured in Ridge Racer on prior consoles. This is why we wanted to introduce a new form of online gameplay on the next-generation console.

Online gameplay with racing games has often been a very solitary experience until now -- get online, race, and then log out, all without speaking a single word. Or perhaps play Time Attack by yourself, upload your data, and just stare at the ranking boards. This type of gameplay is still available in Ridge Racer 7, but you can also get online and team up with other players to go head-to-head against other teams. Even Time Attack can be played with a partner, utilizing each other's drafts to aim for records unachievable alone.

"From alone to social" could be our key slogan for Ridge Racer 7. Ridge Racer 7 also supports split-screen Pair Time Attacks, and of course, you can upload the records to the online ranking boards. Even offline Time Attack modes can become social. This is one of the biggest Ridge Racer 7 differences.

4. New Main Mode - Making Offline and Online Seamless

The fourth difference is the new main mode, Ridge Racer Grand Prix, which provides the player a seamless online and offline gameplay experience.

The player arrives at the nation of drift racing, Ridge State, as an obscure racer. As the player establishes connections with manufacturers by participating in manufacturer-sponsored race events and winning races, he/she will gain wealth (credit) and fame. As the player gains more fame, more prestigious races will become available and manufacturers will start taking notice of the player. If a machine or parts from a certain manufacturer are frequently selected by the player for races, the relationship with that manufacturer will become stronger, and he/she will get better deals when purchasing additional items from the manufacturer.

This structure itself may be pretty standard for many gamers. However, the biggest difference in Ridge State Grand Prix isn't in its structure.

Fame isn't only gained through Ridge State Grand Prix. Beating rivals in the Online Battle mode, entertaining other players as the race host, or beating the record in Time Attack will all award the player with Fame. Actions that earn you respect as an honorable Ridge Racer will be rewarded regardless of being online or offline. Manufacturers will recognize these players who earn high respect.

And Ridge Racer 7's global ranking boards feature Fame Point ranking as well. Fame Point ranking is decided not only by how much the player has played the Ridge Racer Grand Prix, but also by how much respect the player has earned from other players from around the world. Ridge State, the home of Ridge Racers, is connected seamlessly with every Ridge Racer in the real world.

Moreover, the AI of rival cars that challenge you in the offline modes (just think of these rivals as Ridge Racers living in Ridge State) has been improved significantly. With rival cars challenging you by aiming for Ultimate Charges and firing off nitrous at precise times, you will experience a head-to-head racing experience comparable to competing against a real-life opponent.

The main modes for both online and offline are connected seamlessly; this is where the Ridge Racer 7 difference lies.

And One More

Courses designed with elaborate details and epic scale, machine customization that allows you to express yourself online, social online play, main modes that play seamlessly with the online modes -- I have written about these four main points, but I actually have another, one that I really want to tell you about. It is the concept behind our new user interface, the World Hub.

It is almost 8 in the morning at our office in Nakameguro, Tokyo, so let me close my entry here. I will talk about the World Hub in my next entry, so stay tuned! Sayonara!